What to do after an extraction

You need to look after yourself carefully after you have had a tooth taken out, as with any operation, to speed up healing and prevent infection. This advice is to help you know what to expect and do as your mouth recovers.

General advice

For the first 24 hours, don’t drink alcohol, eat hot food or disturb the clot, which will have formed in the space left by the tooth, because this may cause the socket to start bleeding again. Don’t smoke either, and avoid strenuous exercise for the rest of the day.

Don’t rinse your mouth for six hours after the extraction.

After six hours, rinse gently with warm salty water to keep the socket clean and continue to do this for up to a week after meals and before bed. Use half a teaspoonful of salt in a glass of comfortable warm water.

Brush your teeth normally with toothpaste to keep the whole mouth clean but take care in the region where tooth was extracted.

If you feel small pieces of bone working their way out of the socket, don’t worry – this is normal.

Some swelling or discomfort in the first two or three days is also normal.

Take painkillers if you need them (as you would for a headache). Ask your dentist for advice if you are not sure what sort to take.